To mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2026, the Centre for Pesticide Suicide Prevention has launched an online campaign to celebrate and recognise the important role of pesticide regulators.
Warning: this article discusses suicide, which some people may find distressing. To find a local helpline, please visit www.findahelpline.com
By limiting access to acutely toxic pesticides – a highly lethal method of suicide – pesticide regulators are making a significant contribution to global suicide prevention.
Here are just some of the many men and women across the globe who work quietly behind the scenes to make our world a safer place.
- Mr. Hasmath Ali, who is implementing a national roadmap for highly hazardous pesticides in Trinidad and Tobago. Among other benefits, the roadmap aims to reduce access to highly lethal pesticides used in suicide and self-harm.
- Dr. Federico Alejandro Moncada Chévez, who recently led an assessment of data on pesticide poisoning and deaths in Honduras, identifying two highly hazardous pesticides for further regulatory action.
- Mr. Kenneth Chipere, who played a key role in developing Zimbabwe’s national strategy to mitigate the risks posed by highly hazardous pesticides.
- Ms. Zinhle Gama, who has been spearheading work in Eswatini. Through her leadership, four highly hazardous pesticides have been identified and proposed for regulatory action, to prevent poisonings and deaths.
- Mrs. Fadila M. Kurfi, who helps lead the work of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which banned three highly hazardous pesticides in 2020, and is currently considering further bans.
- Mr. Raphael Mwezi, who has spearheaded research into pesticide poisoning in Tanzania, showing that intentional pesticide poisoning is a major issue.
- Dr. J.A.Sumith, a former regulator in Sri Lanka, who has continued the work of his predecessors to ban on highly hazardous pesticides. He also played an important role in the listing of two pesticides under the Rotterdam Convention.
You can view their full profiles, with summaries of their work, on our website.
Read an article from Professor Michael Eddleston, setting out why pesticide regulators are the hidden heroes of suicide prevention.
Blog: Why pesticide regulators are the hidden heroes of suicide prevention